NEW ORLEANS - At least three statues of historical figures were found toppled over and vandalized in New Orleans Friday.

NOLA.com reports a statue of John McDonogh was the first to be found damaged Friday morning. The monument was seen lying in the shrubbery next to its pedestal in Lafayette Square.

John McDonogh statue in front Gallier Hall gone. Seems a rope was used to pull statue down. @WWLTV pic.twitter.com/kHmMXLYg0c

— Duke Carter II (@dcarterII) July 10, 2020

The newspaper also reports that a bust of Confederate soldier Charles Didier Dreux was found knocked from its pedestal in the neutral ground of Jefferson Davis Parkway and Pike Street. A third statue depicting philanthropist Sophie B. Wright was found covered in red spray paint. "BLM," standing for Black Lives Matter, was found written multiple times across the monument.

Dreux was the first Confederate soldier from Louisiana killed in the Civil War, and Wright was said to be a supporter of segregation and served as president of the Stonewall Jackson Chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy.

McDonough was a known slave owner who forced Black people to work for their freedom over a period of 15 years. When he died, he left the bulk of his fortune to the cities of Baltimore and New Orleans to build public schools for poor children. More than 30 public schools were built in New Orleans because of his donation.

It's the second time in about a month's time that a monument to McDonough has been vandalized in New Orleans.